:: theLogBook.com DVD Reviews ::

Man, have I been waiting for this.

The first season of Babylon 5 can only be described as uneven. Just look at disc 4, where the pivotal Signs And Portents shares space with the much-less-pivotal Grail and TKO. But even while the show was finding its legs, its potential was clear. And when it delivered on that potential, it was something very special. The five-year-arc for television has been discussed over and over again, but to me that’s not the strength of Babylon 5. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski mentions it repeatedly in his episode commentaries…it’s a series that passionately argues that we all can make a difference in the world, that we all need to believe in ourselves and each other. It’s a show that has something to say, and is willing to take risks in order to say it. (more…)

Not exactly feature-heavy, the DVD release of Mark Pellington’s dark, post-McVeigh psychodrama provides a lot of insights with its audio commentary. Pellington and star Jeff Bridges comment throughout the movie on its strengths, its weaknesses, and what they wanted to do here and there. They both heap - justly - much praise upon Tim Robbins, whose stone cold conspirator-next-door portrayal anchors the movie while Bridges goes, ever so slowly, off the deep end.

And in the course of listening to the commentary, I gradually come to think to myself, “Here are two guys who are probably never going to make a movie together again.” (more…)

The Doctor Who DVDs have wowed me with their bonus features and commentaries thus far, but from the moment it was announced as the first title from the series’ B&W years, the thought of Tomb Of The Cybermen on DVD intrigued me. With so many of the participants from that era of the series having passed on, who would they get to talk about it? (more…)

I’ll tell you right off the bat that I’m amazed by the DVD release of Ben Folds Five’s episode of the PBS music series Sessions At West 54th. I’m amazed…by how utterly tame it is.

It could be that this was the band’s first big televised appearance that lasted more than five minutes on a late night show, so Folds seems particularly self-conscious. There are touches of humor, namely Folds’ quip that “we’re not used to performing around sober people and cameras,” and at one point he even asks if there’s supposed to be a Q&A forum. When the audience tells him there is, he still doesn’t take questions. (more…)